When Trouble Calls
by Cantet
Summary: When trouble calls, there are three people who will always answer. For Caine, Drake and Diana, their problems didn't start with their powers - it started with their friendship. Pre-FAYZ. Follow Drake, Caine and Diana through their time at Coates Academy.
1. Sign In

ONE

_Sign In_

_**Disclaimer**__**: The Gone series and its characters are all owned by Michael Grant, along with his various publishers, and no copyright infringement is intended by this story.**_

_**Author's Note**__**: This story is an Alternative Universe, and an imagining of what could have happened to Caine, Drake and Diana before the FAYZ and before they began to discover their powers. I've had to change certain things to fit with the story, which I hope you can overlook :)**_

_**Please note that I'm from the UK, not America, and so certain phrases, products etc might not sound right: If you notice anything, feel free to PM me or post a review, and I'll be able to change it. Responses might take some time as I'm at university, but I will do my best.**_

_**This is a multichapter fic**_

**-C-**

_Dear Mr Ladris,_

_Thank you for your recent enquires regarding your daughter's transferral to Coates Academy. We are very pleased to announce that we are formerly offering Diana a boarding place, effective from the first of September. Enclosed with this letter is a school brochure, along with a copy of a list of necessary items that students must bring with them at the start of the academic term._

_At Coates Academy we put the wellbeing of our students first and foremost, and as a result ask that legal guardians sign a security contract with the school (enclosed), and send any wellbeing documents ahead of arrival. These may include anything from hospital notes to psychiatric reports. Your co-operation allows us to work more closely with the student, and to provide thorough one-on-one services with them, should it be necessary._

_We look forward to receiving your confirmation._

_Sincerely,_

_Andrea Thomas._

She didn't think they would accept her. She had thought there would have been a letter in the mail within a week, a short, polite reply from Coates Academy saying something along the lines of "_thank you for your enquiry, but Diana Ladris seems to be a normal girl, and our involvement is not necessary"_. She had thought there would be no way in hell that a school like that would want her.

"Well?" Her father was standing behind her, waiting. She could almost taste his anticipation. He had been on tenterhooks for weeks. "Well?" he asked again, and Diana silently handed him the opened letter, too shocked to do anything else. She tried not to notice that her hands were shaking.

Mr Ladris looked up from reading and his mouth split into a smile that made his moustache twitch. "This is perfect!" he said, and Diana couldn't help but think that this was maybe the proudest he had ever been of her. "I'll give them a ring right now," he told her, ignoring her silence, and then he walked down the hallway to the kitchen phone, muttering "perfect" repeatedly under his breath.

Diana didn't move. For weeks she had been waiting for an answer, and this was not the one she had been expecting. She sat down cross-legged on the floor like a little kid, and flicked open the Coates brochure.

She flipped through the pages without looking at the writing, preferring to concentrate on the glossy pictures. The other kids looked smart and preppy in their expensive uniforms, and the grounds were big and lush, but Diana knew that the disadvantages already outweighed the good. At a boarding school there was nowhere to hide your secrets.

It was said that Coates Academy welcomed the difficult cases, the ones no-one else wanted... The mental kids who took twelve different types of medication with their cereal. What kind of school asked for a psychiatric report before enrolment?

Diana thought of her own psychiatrist. She had not been to a session in weeks. He kept ringing the house to check up on her, but Diana was always the one who answered seeing as her father was always out and her mother was...

How could she visit her mother from boarding school?

"Diana!" Mr Ladris called from the other room, making her jump. "How about we do something to celebrate? We could get breakfast from Harry's, you love it there!"

Harry's had closed down three years ago. Diana knew because her mother used to take her on the first Sunday of every month, until the health department shut it down for not having enough fire doors. Harry Hubert didn't have enough money to renovate, so it got turned into a high-class handbag boutique. Her dad didn't know that though, because he hadn't taken Diana out since she was six.

"Wow, Dad, pancakes," she said in a deadpan voice. "Nothing fills the void of utter abandonment like pancakes."

"Perfect," he said, for potentially the millionth time that morning. "Get in the car, we'll go now." Years of sarcasm had rendered him immune to Diana-isms.

"I have plans," she snapped.

Mr Ladris raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"I'm going to sit in my room and start listening to the voices in my head. I want to fit into my new school."

Mr Ladris sighed quietly. "Just get in the car."

**-C-**

They ended up going to a diner, and there they ate in silence. Diana picked at her plate, playing with her food instead of chewing it. Mr Ladris tried to start a conversation three different times, but they all faltered, spluttered and died.

"So... how are your friends doing?"

"I don't know. And seeing as I'm never going to see them again, I won't ever know."

Then:

"Aunt Camilla sent your mum a Get Well Soon card."

"Walmart must have run out of Hope You Aren't Paralysed For Life cards."

And finally:

"Di, I know you're upset, but you'll get loads out of your new school."

"Yeah. Like a free lobotomy and some crazy pills."

He always called her Di when he wanted to sweeten her up.

**-C-**

The first of September came around too quickly, and her life was thrown into two new suitcases and packed into the boot of her father's Ford Fiesta. Diana didn't watch the house she grew up in shrink to the size of a doll's house through the rear-window. Her good memories were gone now, and instead all she saw when she looked at it were police cars and crime scene tape and journalists, shouting her name and scribbling articles as her mother lay in St. Sergeant's Hospital.

"Sad to be leaving?" Her father asked. He was trying hard, like the family councillor had told him to. It wasn't enough though. Diana didn't think that anything he ever did would be enough. One of the few upsides of boarding school was that she wouldn't have her dad forcing himself to take an interest in her.

"I don't care," said Diana blankly. She stared at the road ahead.

"You care a bit," he answered softly, and Diana made a scoffing noise in the back of her throat, because she knew her voice would catch if she said anything intelligible.

Bakersfield was roughly two and a half hours away from Perdido Beach, the town which lurked closest to Coates Academy, and Diana spent the whole journey deliberating between being angry that she was going and being glad to escape. It was too hot inside the car and she rolled the window down, allowing the breeze to ruffle her hair and soothe her face. She could taste the salt from the sea on her tongue.

Coates was sat on top of a hill that was so steep Diana would have classed it as a mountain. It was a Gothic building, all stone and ivy and slate, and even though she didn't want to be, she was impressed with how grand it was. The grounds looked perfectly maintained, each blade of grass standing to attention, and as they passed through the black iron gates Diana caught sight of what looked like a sports stadium, half obscured by the East side of the building.

"Now I know why they charge so much," she said, before remembering she was supposed to be sulking. Her dad laughed and put the car into first gear, and the tyres crunched against the gravel driveway.

Coates' driveway was overly long and wide, which was lucky as everyone seemed to have arrived at the same time: the front of the school was a crush of cars and vans, each one gleaming in the afternoon sun. There were students everywhere: carrying bags and books and suitcases and paperwork; there were shouts and laughter as friends saw each other after a summer apart; kisses and hugs as parents departed the chaos in a hurry. Some of the younger kids were crying.

One particular car caught Diana's eye; an old, blue Ford Escort which didn't seem to fit in with the indulgent show of wealth that the other cars displayed.

Mr Ladris found a space and parked the car, before rifling through the glove compartment and finding her paperwork. "We go to the Entrance Hall to get you signed in, and then you'll get assigned a room. I'll get your bags."

They got out of the car, Diana accidentally hitting the vehicle on the other side with the passenger door. Her and her father both pretended not to notice the damage done. She slung her schoolbag over one shoulder, then took the handle of the smaller suitcase and wheeled it up to the front doors, Mr Ladris close behind. Most of the other students ignored her, but she caught sight of one or two throwing her curious looks. She'd been the new girl before, though, back in Bakersfield, and she knew how to play it.

The Entrance Hall was cool to the point of being chilly when they stepped inside, and Diana could not help but marvel at it. Carved from stone, it looked majestic, with its high arches and carvings. It reminded her of Hogwarts, except with less magic and more lunatics.

They joined the queue and waited to be signed in. The noise of the other students echoed, and snatches of conversation drifted towards the Ladris family.

"... her new haircut is ugly as, but she's got rid of the spots..."

"... I'm going to miss you, sweetie, but make sure you lay off the fatty foods..."

"... He's just over there, this year I'm going to get a date with him, Ruby Furlan thinks she's all that but he's never going to ask _her_..."

"... Wish he'd just leave, everyone hates him anyway, he's a psycho..."

"... Can't believe Mr Craston hasn't been fired, he's the worst..."

"... Is she new? She's hot, dude."

The last one came from Diana's right, and she suppressed a smirk. They might be rich weirdos, but Coates' boys were exactly the same as the boys anywhere else.

The queue moved forwards and Diana came face to face with a strawberry-blonde receptionist who looked like she was giving up the will to live. Without saying anything she held out her hand, and Mr Ladris scrabbled in his jacket pocket for the paperwork before handing it over. The receptionist found the corresponding name on the list, ticked it and then handed the paperwork back, before speaking in a bored voice with a very heavy New York accent.

"Welcome to Coates Academy, Miss Ladris. My name is Roberta Guinness. You can call me Miss Guinness. This is your welcome pack. The keys to your room are inside the envelope there, as is a map of the campus grounds. Suitcases are to be stored on the left, where one of our team will take them to your room. If you have any questions, I or one of the Prefect team will be more than happy to answer." She gestured listlessly at a group of teenagers who were stood in a huddle, talking amongst themselves. They did not look like they would be more than happy to answer questions. Diana thought they looked more like they were planning a suicide pact. "Girls are in the East Wing, third or forth floor, depending." Diana fished out her key: attached on a little blue keyring was a tag with 4-08 written on it. "Forth floor," Miss Guinness said in a patronising voice, peering over. "Your school timetable is in the pack, along with some things that might help you along in Coates."

"Like a tranquilliser gun?"

"Diana," Mr Ladris warned, fighting the urge to put his head in hands.

There was a low chuckle from the boy on the right, who was getting signed in simultaneously, and Diana instinctively turned her head and winked at him. _At least someone has a sense of humour, _she thought, before catching sight of him properly. He was handsome - very handsome, with dark hair and a confident smile, and there was something about his expression when she turned away that Diana liked. She took her welcome pack from the woman signing her in and walked away. She could almost feel the dark haired boy's eyes watching her, but she didn't turn around.

"I've got to go now, honey," Mr Ladris said, glancing at his watch. Diana was guessing he was going to meet his receptionist. He always did when he knew she wouldn't be around. "Ring me if you need anything. Don't be cheeky. Don't be rude. Respect you teachers. And don't get into trouble, okay?"

"Yeah," she said with no attempt at sincerity, and there was an awkward pause where neither of them knew exactly how to say goodbye.

"Okay," Mr Ladris said eventually. "Bye honey. Let me know if you need anything."

"Okay," she repeated, just as stiffly. Mr Ladris ducked his head, inviting her to kiss him on the cheek, so Diana knocked her cheek against it quickly, making sure she didn't touch him with her lips. "Bye Dad," she said, and then he walked away, pulling out his phone as he did.

"Ooh," commented a voice from behind her. "That was cold."

It was the boy from the line, the one she winked at. Diana raised a condescending eyebrow. "What's it to you?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. His parents had gone too: obviously they hadn't made much of a fuss in leaving either. Diana stored this in the back of her mind. "Just admiring it, actually. Most girls here would give Daddy a hug, make a scene. Y'know what I mean."

"Right," Diana said with pure disinterest. "Fascinating."

"It kind of is, yeah."

"Most people would just call it bitchiness." Diana gave him a look that could kill. Usually it made people squirm and leave her alone, which was how she liked to be left, but this boy kept her gaze. It almost made her uncomfortable.

"Did you want something?" she asked briskly, and he shrugged again.

"I didn't get your name," he ventured, charming smile at the ready.

"You didn't," she agreed.

When it became clear to him that she wasn't going to introduce herself, he decided to lead by example. "I'm Caine, just so you know. Caine Soren." There was something about the way he said his name that was so self-sure, so confident, that it made her feel suspicious. She mentally filed away the name, just in case, and then smirked.

"I guess I'll see you around, Caine."

She walked away before he could stop her.

**-C-**

Diana's room was small. It felt even smaller when she had unpacked all her stuff, although she didn't own very many personal items anyway. The only thing she took particular care with was a picture of her mother, taken before Diana was born, before the stress kicked in and aged her face. Diana tucked that between the pages of an old dictionary that she knew she would never pick up, let alone use.

She lay back on her bed and looked up at the ceiling, picking at a thread on her duvet. She had been at Coates officially for only a few hours and yet she was already bored. She wished she could speak to someone from Bakersfield - but there was no-one who she wanted to talk to at that moment. She wished she could call her mother - not that she'd be able to pick up.

"_It was my dad."_

"_It was my dad, I saw him do it, they were screaming and he pushed her!"_

"_He pushed her, I swear..."_

"_... I think he wanted to kill her."_

Diana rolled onto her side and shut her eyes.

**-C-**

_**Author's Note: And there's Chapter One. Judging by the length I've got the feeling that this is going to potentially be a very long story. If you take the time to review, that would be much appreciated :)**_

_**It's a throwaway line, but I'm wondering who you guys thought who might own the grubby Ford Escort car? You'll find out in the next chapter, but I'm just interested in your guesses.**_

_**P.S. Reading back, there is no way near as much plot as I thought there would be. This is more of a chapter setting everything up. Hopefully next chapter will be a little more fun for you all**_


	2. Hit List

TWO

_Hit List_

_**Disclaimer: The Gone series and its characters are all owned by Michael Grant, along with his various publishers, and no copyright infringement is intended by this story.**_

**Previously**_**: **Diana enrols at Coates Academy, a boarding school for the troubled, and brings with her some heavy family secrets; Caine meets her for the first time but fails to either impress her or catch her name._

**-C-**

There were some things that Diana didn't know about Coates. She didn't know about the cliques, which were tighter and more inflexible than they were in a normal school. She didn't know that counselling was mandatory for at least the first six weeks after enrolment. And she didn't know about the hit list.

All of these things led up to the ruining of her second day at Coates Academy.

Breakfast was subdued that morning. Despite it being the weekend, the staff insisted that breakfast took place from the times of eight to eight forty-five, and the whole school seemed worn out from the moving process. Diana was moodier than anyone else: it had taken her fifteen minutes to find the stupid dining hall in the first place. She grabbed a tray and scanned her food options: Coates only offered continental breakfasts. She chose two slices of toast and some orange juice, and then turned round.

Immediately, she wished she'd paid more attention when she'd walked into the hall.

Diana had seen cliques before, but never as strict as the ones like these. There was no overlapping conversation; each table had its own bubble of talk, and no member of one table turned around to converse with anyone else.

That left one dilemma for Diana: where did she sit?

The closest table to her was a group of timid first years, sitting closely together as if safety came in numbers. _They don't even know what puberty is_, Diana thought, turning her eyes away.

The emos, the geeks, the football team, the cheerleaders, the prefects, the burnouts, the scene kids, the wannabes... _It's like a Bowling For Soup song_, she thought, before walking into the melée.

Eyes shadowed her, waiting for her to stake her claim in the pecking order. For a moment Diana found herself slowing down next to the popular girls (she assumed they were popular from them giving off the same contemptuous nature that she displayed so easily), but she did not sit. One of the girls moved her bag from a spare chair in invitation, and on reflex Diana scoffed and moved on, choosing to sit on a table that was on the outskirts of the hall. It was occupied by only one other student. She sat down, banging her tray against the plastic tabletop, and slumped into her seat, deciding that she was right in thinking that Coates was a bad idea from the start.

The girls she had refused to sit with where all gossiping darkly, shooting her looks of dislike from across the room, so Diana looked away.

"You have ten seconds to get out of that chair."

Diana turned to the voice and raised an eyebrow. Opposite was a blond boy, who was glaring at her with such force that his grey eyes had been narrowed into slits.

"And why would I do that?" Diana snapped, with a ferocity to match. If he was trying to act tough, he had chosen the wrong person to put on his show for. It wasn't even nine yet and Diana had already decided that she was fed-up.

Blondie leant forwards. Diana noticed he was not eating. "How about because you value your limbs?"

"Ooh, scary," Diana said sarcastically, and then laughed. Her laughter was like a slap in the face, and it just seemed to wind Blondie up even more. "Listen," Diana carried on, "If you want to threaten someone, go for something original. The tough guy act isn't going to get you that far."

Blondie flailed for something to say, and Diana noticed him steal a glance at one of the teachers who was overseeing the hallway.

"Yeah, better not get in trouble," she said patronisingly. "You don't want Mummy and Daddy to hear you've got detention, Blondie."

"_What _did you call me?!" he spat. The teacher had spotted them leaning in and was edging over, trying to look nonchalant.

"You're not overly quick in the brain department, are you Blondie?" Diana said, leaning back in her chair. This was what she enjoyed doing best: baiting someone and waiting for them to boil over. And this guy was going for the bait easier than she could have possibly hoped. He clearly had some sort of anger management problem.

"Drake..." warned a voice. The teacher had slid right next to the table, and was reading the signs.

Drake didn't even turn to the sound of his name. Instead he stood up, not losing eye contact with Diana and turned to leave. He threw his words across the table with such venom that Diana actually flinched. "I'll find you later, bitch."

"It's Diana, actually," Diana called after him, not letting him leave with the last word. "Diana Ladris!"

She wasn't sure if he'd heard, but it didn't matter. The rest of the dining room had: it appeared everyone had been sneakily watching their fight with open mouths. There was approximately five seconds of silence before Diana was surrounded by other students, introducing themselves, grabbing her hand, some cheering her, some laughing.

Diana smirked. She was a Coates celebrity and breakfast hadn't even finished.

**-C-**

Seeing as it was the first proper day back, Caine always held an unofficial (but strict) meeting in what he considered his office. In reality it was an old classroom that the school hadn't gotten round to renovating yet. There were old grammar posters stapled to the walls and some poetry pieces that had been tacked up half-heartedly, but the desks had been pushed back and the rickety wooden chairs arranged around the room. Caine had stolen a much more comfortable chair from the teacher's lounge and sat in that at the front of the room, as if he were teaching a class.

With him was his usual cronies: Benno at the front, and then Benno's gang, which was made up of Nancy, JJ, Morley, and Piers. Caine had worked out pretty early on that Benno was a good person to have onside: especially as Caine could get him to do all the dirty work. Benno's gang looked to Benno as the leader - but Caine was the overruling power, that much was obvious. And since Caine had managed to kind of form an allegiance with Drake, there was no competition between the two boys.

"Caine, man, I wish you could have made it to my birthday," Morley was saying, for about the millionth time already. "It was sick, my dad hired this amazing DJ for the night and set off all these fireworks at midnight..."

"Yeah," said Caine, not really listening. Morley had invited him in the summer, ringing him and boasting about how many people were going, but when Caine had asked his parents they'd flat out refused. Instead they'd insisted on keeping him cooped up all holiday, flat out refusing to let him do anything that meant him venturing any more than ten meters outside of the grounds of the house. Caine had felt like a caged animal all summer.

"And there was this cake that my folks got delivered from Denver, and -"

"Whatever," Caine interrupted, before clapping his hands and calling the meeting to order. "Right: Since we've been away for the past few months everyone's going to be nice and cocky for this new term. We've got to remind them who's boss. Nancy, make sure you're keeping an eye on the firsties. Just corridor patrols, stuff like that. Any cheek, you hit first. Piers, you're on teacher patrol again, you're good like that. Keep an ear out for names, all that stuff. I also want to talk to you about potential people we could incorporate into this little... operation. I've got some names, and then I want you to do checks on them, see how reliable they'll be, all that. JJ -"

There was a bang that made them all jump, and then Drake was standing in the doorway, chest heaving with rage.

"You're late," Caine commented drily, but Drake ignored him and marched into the room, kicking over a chair and pushing past Morley viciously.

"Were you at breakfast?" he accused loudly.

"Yeah," said Caine. "Bright and early, before everyone else. I said we were _all _to meet up at eight fifteen, Drake. You're ten minutes late."

"Whatever. I was amending the hit list."

Inadvertently Caine grinned. In his plan to remind the school who was on top of the food chain, the hit list was a very important part of it.

Every time a new term started, Drake compiled a list of kids who had annoyed or offended him in some way, and he would work through it from the bottom to the top. "Who've you added?" Caine asked eagerly.

"Some bitch called Diana Ladris," Drake said. "She's made top."

"I thought Amanda Karl was top?"

Caine had heard Amanda make fun of the Merwin's family car, and somehow word had got back to Drake. No-one mocked him and got away with it.

"Not anymore," Drake snarled. Whatever this Diana girl had done, it had riled Drake right up. "I would've got her right there, but that science guy, he's got it out for me... I would've got her right then if he wasn't round..."

Caine turned to Nancy. "Who's Diana Ladris?"

Nancy shrugged. "Just because I'm a girl it doesn't mean I know every female in this school, Caine."

At that moment the bell for first period rang, and Caine swore. "We're out of time. JJ, Benno, we have homeroom, I'll talk to you on the way there. Nancy - first years. Piers - I'll email you the names. Morley - I'll talk to you at lunch. And Drake?"

"What?"

"Looks like you need to take some aggression out. Who's bottom of the list?"

"That Harrison kid."

Caine smiled. "Then you better get started."

**-C-**

For the rest of the day, Diana found herself being shadowed by an entourage. At first she kind of enjoyed all the attention, but as the hours wore on she only found it wearing. Everyone wanted a piece of her, and so by lunch time she found herself ignoring almost everyone who spoke to her. She didn't see Drake again.

Physics was the last lesson of the day, and Diana had barely chosen a seat when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," said Mrs Farers, and one of the prefects stuck her head around the door.

"Sorry to interrupt, miss, but Doctor Hyde has sent for Diana Ladris? Is she in this class?"

"Here," Diana said in a resigned tone.

Mrs Farers nodded for her to go. "Leave your bag here, Miss Ladris."

The prefect waited for her, and then led the way to Doctor Hyde's office. Compared to Diana she was massive: tall for her age and with broad shoulders. Her hair was short, neat and blonde, and there was something strict about the way she held herself, as if she were a military commander. Diana instantly disliked her - but then, there weren't many people that Diana didn't instantly dislike.

"Your shirt is untucked," snapped the prefect immediately.

"Oh right," said Diana, uninterested. The girl looked down and glared at her, her pale blue eyes piercing.

"I _am _right," she said nastily, "and I'm also a prefect, so you can tuck in your shirt or you can get a detention."

Diana rolled her eyes and tucked in her shirt.

"And your tie needs to be regulation length. Just because you're new it doesn't mean you get to skirt around the rules, y'know."

"We're in California, not Nazi Germany," said Diana grumpily.

The girl's face lit up into a smile. "Rudeness and non-standard uniform... I'd say that earns a warning. One more this month and you'll get a detention. Not exactly a great start to the week, is it?"

Diana stared at her in utter disbelief. A warning? "Are you serious? It was a joke."

"I don't like jokes." The prefect stopped, wrote something down and ripped it out. For a moment Diana thought it was a cheque, but when she noticed the Coates logo in the corner she realised. She crumpled the discipline slip in her hand and shoved it into the pocket of her skirt.

"On your first day, too," the prefect commented nastily, before stopping outside a door. "This is Doctor Hyde's office. Someone will call you when he's ready to see you. Wait in here." The prefect opened the door opposite, which had 'Waiting Room' engraved on a gold plaque attached to it. There was another person sat down, texting.

"Phones away!" The prefect shouted, making him jump, and then she marched down the corridor, off to spread more misery.

Diana entered the waiting room and shut the door behind herself. It wasn't until she'd sat down that she realised the other boy in the room was the Caine kid from yesterday. He was watching her, so she avoided his eyes and pulled out the discipline slip, examining it to avoid the fact that he was examining her. Printed on the top was the prefect girl's name - Claire Stuttgart. Diana screwed it up in her fist again, but it didn't make her feel any less annoyed.

"Detention?" asked Caine, trying hard to sound casual. "That sucks. Claire's a bitch, she likes to give everyone a hard time."

"Just a warning," she corrected briskly. "This school is such bullshit."

She noticed him smiling from the corner of her eyes. "Not if you know the right people," Caine replied.

"And let me guess: you're 'right people'?"

Caine spread his arms out in a gesture of mock humility. "You've got me."

She half smiled at that.

There was a knock at the door, and then a man with thick, slicked back dark hair and glasses entered. He smiled at Caine. "Mr Soren! You're early. I wasn't expecting you for another ten minutes."

Caine shrugged. "Better than French."

Doctor Hyde smiled in an almost fatherly manner, not bothering to chastise him, before turning back to his clipboard. "Alright then - and you must be Diana Ladris."

Out of the corner of her eye, Diana noticed Caine sit up straight.

"Yeah," she said, standing up. Doctor Hyde motioned for her to follow him.

"Later, I guess," Diana said, turning back to Caine, who looked like he'd been stunned.

"I - yeah. Bye," he replied, dazed, and she left him to go back to his phone.

**-C-**

Doctor Hyde's office was very neat. There was something about it that made Diana feel uneasy. Everything had an exact place.

"Diana... Ladris..." the Doctor said under his breath, riffling through one of his large cabinets. She saw him flicking through some folders before his hand dipped in and plucked hers out of the drawer.

The feeling of unease increased as he opened it and looked through.

There was a few minutes of utter silence as he perused the file, and then he placed it down on the desk, face down and closed.

"So, Diana, this session is just a quick one for me to get a grasp of your personality. After this you will have an organised therapy session once a week for six weeks, and then from there I will assess whether you will need any more throughout the school year."

"Can I see that file?" Diana asked immediately. She couldn't take her eyes off it.

"No," Hyde said softly. "Do you have any concerns that you'd like to make over the thought of our therapy sessions, Diana?"

"I just want to see the file," Diana repeated. She was starting to panic. They could have a copy of the police report in that file... the taped confessions... newspaper articles... and maybe even some of the truth. She could feel her hands shaking in her lap.

Hyde sighed through his nose. "That's not going to be possible, I'm afraid," he said, still speaking in his gentle voice.

"It's about me," she said, her voice raising. "It's _my _file... You don't even know me and you're reading it!"

Hyde sighed again. "I can assure you, Diana, that I don't judge -"

"Whatever."

" - and that all of my patients are subject to a confidentiality agreement. Anything you confide in me will not be repeated, you have my word on that."

"Well you have my word that I'm not going to _confide _anything with you."

They'd reached a tense stalemate. Hyde took off his heavy rimmed glasses and began cleaning them on his tweed jacket, taking him time to breathe on each lens. He did it slowly, methodically, and Diana wondered if he had OCD. His office certainly suggested so.

"My job," he ventured slowly, still concentrating on his glasses, "is to ascertain whether you are happy and healthy. As soon as I can file an official report to the school that confirms that you are both, you will not have to see me again in this office. However..." He slipped his glasses back on and slid them up his nose. "The longer you refuse my help, the longer you will be made to spend in this office. Do you understand, Diana?"

She wanted to swear at him, but instead she nodded her head woodenly.

"Excellent. Now: Do you have any concerns that you'd like to make known before our sessions start next week?"

Diana shook her head.

"And is there anything you'd like to ask me?"

Another shake of the head.

"Have you ever had any counselling sessions in the past?"

Diana arched her eyebrow. "You know I have, Doc. It's all in there," she said, nodding at the file. It loomed in the corner of her vision, taunting her. Lingering.

Doctor Hyde smiled. It wasn't a nasty smile but it wasn't a nice one either. It was a smile without any emotion behind it. "That's correct. You used to see a Doctor Green, I believe?"

"Yeah. Except I only went twice."

Doctor Hyde nodded. "And why was that, Diana?"

"Because he was old and weird," Diana said. "And he thought he knew everything about me when he didn't. Psychiatrists never do."

"No, we don't," Hyde admitted gently. He stood up. "I believe I've kept Mr Soren waiting long enough. You're free to go back to class now, Diana. Your first appointment will be next Tuesday, after your last lesson. Try not to be late." He held out a hand, which Diana took grudgingly and let go of very quickly, as if he were diseased.

She left the office hurriedly, and nearly bumped into Caine, who was just coming out of the waiting room. "Have fun with Professor Freak," she muttered to him as she walked past, and she thought he might have laughed but she was already away, putting as much difference between herself and the file as she could.

She swore to herself that she'd have it burned.

**-C-**

As soon as Caine finished his session with Doctor Hyde, he started running.

He hadn't known that _she _was Diana Ladris. And what were the odds of that, anyway? The only person in Coates (other than himself) that he actually found _interesting_ just so happened to be headlining the hit list. He guessed he shouldn't have been so surprised: Diana was the kind of girl who had trouble written all over her.

He would never have done this normally, but this was not exactly a normal situation. Since he'd started at Coates, Caine had found himself taking over with such ease that it was almost boring - but Diana was challenging and mysterious and distant and interesting and - well, hot.

His phone buzzed and Caine snatched it out of his blazer pocket, slowing down to read the message. It was from Benno.

_No why?_

Caine didn't bother texting back. Benno was so useless sometimes.

Caine had tried to phone Drake when he'd been waiting for Doctor Hyde, but Drake hadn't answered. He'd sent three texts and left an answer machine message, but there had been no reply - Drake very rarely had his phone on him, because he didn't want to be bothered by anyone (by which he meant Caine, who was the only one who ever contacted him anyway).

Benno hadn't seen him, nor any of the rest of Caine's crew. Which left Caine in a bit of a predicament.

"Hey stranger."

Caine jumped and turned around.

Ruby Furlan was pretty and slim and totally infatuated with him. She was smiling now, the fake-shy smile that meant she was probably going to hint for him to take her out on a date. Again. Caine had lost count over how many times she had made a move on him.

"Hey Ruby."

"How was your summer?" she purred, the coy smile still on her lips.

"Shit," said Caine, cutting to the chase. "Listen, you seen Drake around?"

"No. I -"

"Okay, bye!"

He was running again. Drake was on his mind, and Drake never waited around.

**-C-**

It happened when Diana was putting her books back into her locker, just before the bell went off to signify dinner time.

One moment there was the chatter in the corridor; students comparing notes and gossiping idly, milling around with nothing to do. The next there was a lull in the noise, like the calm that comes right before the storm.

Diana shut her locker and turned around, looking for the hurricane.

It came in the form of Drake Merwin, who was cutting through the other students effortlessly, making a beeline straight for her. His eyes were cold steel. He was in front of her before she could get away from him.

"What the hell do you want?" she snapped.

"You made number one, bitch," he said, and before she could even ask what on Earth he was talking about he'd pushed her against the locker roughly. She almost lost her balance for a second and staggered, and then Drake's hand was wound in her hair and forcing her head to slam back into the locker.

Diana saw stars. Her head was swimming, and there was a piercing ringing in her ears. She'd bitten down on her tongue, hard, and the metallic tang of blood filled her mouth, making her want to retch. She staggered, caught herself, and then waited for the next blow, too stunned to defend herself properly.

It took Diana several long seconds to realise why she wasn't still being attacked. Drake was being held back, panting and growling like a wild dog, and Caine was there holding him, shouting something unintelligible.

She had never seen anything like him. Screaming and swearing, Drake was acting like a wild animal, and in those cold grey eyes she could see _rage_, unfaltering, hate-filled _rage_. No-one had ever looked at her like that. She had never before seen such unadulterated, unflinching hate.

Caine broke the look by shoving Drake roughly against the wall, and before Drake had time to snap himself out of his rage and wrestle free there was a group of teachers breaking up the fight, with Doctor Hyde at the head of things. He barely even spared a glance for either her or Caine - his entire energy was focused on Drake, and rightly so.

"Everyone out!" snapped Mr Craston, the head of the maths department. "Move along please!"

Claire Stuttgart appeared out of nowhere, apparently drawn to trouble, and began chivvying out the onlookers who were attempting to linger and watch Drake take on three teachers at once.

"Move, Soren!" she barked behind her back, and Caine wormed him way out of the melée. He caught Diana's eye and doubled his pace to walk up and stand next to her.

"You okay?" he panted. Diana could already see a bruise beginning to form on his temple.

"I just got attacked by Jack the Ripper's sidekick. I'm absolutely peachy," she said, and his mouth twitched at her usual sarcasm. She waited until more students had filtered through the corridors, running to spread the latest scandal around the school. "You jumped in," she stated. It wasn't exactly a thank you.

"Yeah," said Caine stupidly.

"You stopped me from getting beaten up by that freak."

"Yeah," he said again. Diana could tell he was desperately wishing he had something more witty to say.

She considered him for a moment, and he blushed a little under her gaze, biting at his thumbnail awkwardly.

"Walk me to the canteen," she said. Again, it wasn't a thank you - but Diana felt it was reward enough.

Just like that, Diana Ladris had him under her spell.

**-C-**

_**Author's Note: Phew! 4,092 words later and we have Chapter Two... and Drake has made his appearance! The next chapter will have a bit more of a Trio dynamic, I think, as up until now they've all been sort of going their separate ways really. **_

_**Shout out to my beautiful reviewers: **__**Evie192000**__**, **__**FAYZpsycho**__**, **__**Royalty Over Reality**__**, **__**gaia-ladris-soren**__**, and the lovely anon. You're the best.**_

_**I'm super ill atm... Kind of worried that this chapter won't make sense but I can't go over it again, my brain is too fuzzy.**_

_**Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you for reading, and please leave a review if you can **_


	3. The Caine Competition

THREE

_The Caine Competition_

_**Disclaimer: The Gone series and its characters are all owned by Michael Grant, along with his various publishers, and no copyright infringement is intended by this story.**_

**Previously****:**_Diana's tongue gets her placed at the top of Drake's hit list; Doctor Hyde begins counselling; Caine saves Diana from Drake's wrath._

**-C-**

Doctor Hyde's fingers were steepled together, fingertips cemented. His eyes were focused, watching over the top of his dark glasses.

Drake refused to react. He'd been counselling with Hyde for around four months before the summer, and he always refused to give him a proper reaction, other than the usual disdain and strong dislike. Doctor Hyde waited several moments longer before venturing to speak.

"So what you're saying is that you attacked Miss Ladris because you felt like it?"

Drake's earlier attack on Diana was the talk of the school - and the talk of Drake's current counselling session. He was fed up of hearing her name.

Drake just shrugged.

"And why did you feel like it, Drake?"

Drake shrugged again. He wasn't in the mood to chat.

**-C-**

She was on everyone's lips. Everywhere people were talking about her as if she was a movie star or something. Drake knew that she was just a bitch with an attitude. There was certainly nothing special about her.

Everywhere he went, she seemed to be. The lessons he didn't have with her, there was always some reminder of her. The lessons he did have with her were unbearable. Just knowing she was sat there got his blood boiling.

Diana Ladris was driving him crazy.

Well, crazier.

**-C-**

Diana had been at Coates just under a week, and in the oddest way she found herself almost enjoying it.

Sure, she had a freak breathing down her neck, but Coates had its luxuries - namely, Caine's gang. They had a kind of dark glamour in the school, a reputation that kept people watching. Being with them was like hanging around with Coates royalty, and thanks to Caine's mini-fascination with her, she was a few steps away from being queen.

"S'up."

Caine sat down on the bench next to her, hands buried in his pockets to protect them from the chilly autumn wind. He smiled at her awkwardly.

"Hey," she said. "What's up?"

"Nothing much."

"Well I'm so glad I asked," Diana smirked. "I'll be writing that down in my diary. Saturday: Woke up. Went on Facebook. Caine was up to nothing. Went to bed."

"Do I really impact that much on your day?"

"It was just such life-changing news," answered Diana smoothly. "I feel it's something that the whole world needs to know about."

"Oh shut up," Caine snapped. Five days and he was already getting used to her sarcasm. She'd noticed how he allowed her to say her bit, how no-one else could get away with it when he was in earshot. Having that little power over him was oddly satisfying.

September was cool and crisp; there was already a chill in the air that foretold the approach of winter. The hairs on Diana's arms were standing in a line, but she ignored them. Sitting in the courtyard gave her time to think.

Her father had not contacted her since he'd dropped her off. She hadn't expected him to, but in her heart she had _wanted_ him to, and there was a small ache inside her that was weighing her down. It wasn't the feeling of abandonment, or betrayal, or loneliness. It wasn't anger or sadness. It was _guilt._

"_It was my dad, I saw him do it, they were screaming and he pushed her!"_

"_Slow down now, I -"_

"_He pushed her, I swear... I think he wanted to kill her."_

"What are you thinking about?"

Caine interrupted her trance. He was looking at her curiously, and Diana wondered how much he had read from the expression of her face. Could he sense her lying soul?

"My dad," Diana said, and it surprised her to realise she'd actually given him a real answer.

If Caine too was surprised, then he didn't show it. "Oh right," he said skeptically. "You miss him? Seemed like you couldn't wait to get away from him, the day he dropped you off."

"Yeah. Well. I like my alone time, I guess." She looked at him pointedly.

"Coates is boring at the weekend," Caine said defensively. "I was just seeing what you were doing." There was something else, something hidden in his voice, and she sensed he had an ulterior motive in coming to find her. He was definitely uncomfortable about something.

"Caine," she prompted, dragging his name out. He looked at her as innocently as he could. "You're a terrible liar."

"What?"

"I can tell you're avoiding something."

Caine sighed in defeat. His expression was similar to someone who was about to run into a burning building. "I... Actually, I was going to ask you... something."

_Shit._

Diana could read the warning signs. Tony Ellis in the year above had asked her out two days ago; Nick Smith had asked her on a date the day before. And now...

But she didn't want to be Caine's date. She didn't want to be anyone's date. She just wanted to be Caine's...

Not friend. He didn't really have any proper friends. And she did not want to be part of his posse, because the thought of him bossing her around the way he did the others would drive her to distraction. She wanted to be his...

There wasn't a word for it. She wanted him to protect her, she supposed, the way he had stepped in the other day when Drake had lost it. And she wanted him to worship her.

Diana was dancing along a very thin line.

"You better not try and ask me on a date," she said, feigning ignorance. "The other day I nearly made that Tony guy cry when he tried. I'm a cold hearted bitch, remember?" Diana laughed lightly, avoiding his eye.

"Actually, no," Caine said. "No. Nothing like that."

"Okay." _Thank God_. "Then what?"

His uncomfortable expression had not shifted. "I was just wanting to ask... What you'd heard about... Me."

"About you?"

"Yeah. And Drake."

Diana blinked, almost too shocked to reply. Almost. "Are you two bumming?"

"_What?!_"

"Are you two bumming?" Diana repeated, not even bothering to keep the laughter from colouring her voice. "I mean _Jesus _Caine, do you have no taste whatsoever?"

"Shut up!" he hissed angrily, bright red with embarrassment. "I'm not gay!"

"So did Drake just trip dick first into your mouth, or...?"

"_I'm not gay!_" he shouted, and a group of passing girls all turned around and stared. Caine did not notice. "I'm not gay, Diana!" he repeated grumpily.

"Then what did you want to say?" Diana asked. The girls were still staring.

He was bright red. "I just meant... Y'know, some people spread rumours about me. Some people don't think I'm very... nice." He finished lamely.

Diana laughed again. "You think I'm a nice person?" she said. "Caine, nice is boring."

"Yeah," he said. He didn't sound convinced. He sounded deflated. "I was just wondering if you'd heard of why either of us got sent to Coates."

That peaked her interest a little, but she tried not to show it. She hadn't heard anything. In fact, she hadn't really spared it a second thought. "No," she said. "Is it a good story?"

"The best," Caine grinned, standing up and folding his arms, protecting himself from the cold. "I'll maybe tell you sometime." He breathed into his hands and rubbed them together, trying to get some blood circulating. Diana noticed he was not wearing a jumper - he must have been freezing. "Have lunch with us again?"

"You don't have to ask every day, Caine," she said, exasperated. Still, he dithered next to her, obviously wanting to go inside but not wanting to leave her.

"Aren't you cold?" he asked eventually.

"Go inside, Caine. Like I said, I like my alone time." She winked at him to lessen the dismissal, and he grinned sheepishly.

"See you at lunch."

**-C-**

By noon, Drake had a plan. He strode over to Caine's table and pushed Morley out of the seat that was on Caine's left. The witch occupied his other side - she always seemed to be hanging around now, like a little shadow. Caine nodded at him as he took a seat.

"Drake."

Drake did not bother acknowledging anyone. Instead he leaned in and gestured for Caine to move forwards. He lowed his voice to a coarse whisper, making sure that no-one else could overhear, and he kept his eyes on Diana as he spoke. She was pretending that she wasn't trying to eavesdrop.

"So I heard Josh Masters has been asked to be class captain," he began. Drake had actually heard that days ago, and in all honesty he didn't care a bit... But it was this lame sort of thing that Caine liked to know. He made a big deal out of everything trivial.

It had the desired effect. Caine immediately sat up, poker-straight, and lowered his voice too. "Did he accept?"

"Dunno. But he will, he's a teacher's pet suck up, like - like that," he whispered, hastily correcting himself from saying 'like you'. "It'll be announced Monday."

"Shit," said Caine loudly. Everyone on the table was eyeing them now, but when he looked round no-one would meet Drake's eye. Diana was the exception, glaring at him coldly, not even bothering to shield her dislike.

"Want me to... er, have words with him?"

Caine's eyes flashed. "Beat him to a pulp."

There were times - very few and far between, but the odd occasion - when Drake _almost _liked Caine. He was annoying and big headed and thought he ran everything, but he had no problems with any of Drake's methods, and that was the most important thing.

"I'll find him."

"Tell him that I send my regards," Caine smirked.

Sometimes, Caine confused himself for the Godfather.

"Whatever," Drake said, standing up. He cast his eyes over Benno's crew. All of them were avoiding his eye.

"Nancy, Piers... I need you to go with Drake," said Caine lightly. "I have a little mission for you. You too, JJ, your room is next door to Masters', isn't it?"

JJ sighed heavily. "Yeah..."

"Excellent. Drake - you, me, Morley and Benno will check the grounds. If no-one sees him, we'll meet in the library in an hour. If you need me, text me, all the usual. Got it?" As usual, Caine was getting too carried away. Drake knew that his phone was currently turned off and hidden in the bottom of his suitcase, because at times like this, when it came down to the simple matter of beating up a kid, Caine got too controlling. He'd expect text updates every ten minutes, and one minute phone briefs every half an hour until the kid had got their beating.

_Pathetic_, Drake thought.

"Library. One hour." Caine repeated, and then he froze as if he'd remembered something. "Oh," he said stupidly, and then turned to Diana, who was sat in her chair with one eyebrow raised and a sour expression on her face. She clearly wasn't used to being ignored.

"Erm..." Caine began awkwardly, but she was already out of her seat and walking off. Drake could barely suppress his smile.

"Caine," he pressed. "Masters?"

"Yeah. Sure. Let's go."

As they walked off, Drake fought the urge to laugh. _Bye bye, witch_.

The way to get to Caine was power... and Diana was powerless.

**-C-**

Corridor patrols were boring. Nancy's patch was usually the dorm corridors, so she could take in who went in and out of their rooms and report it back to Caine.

Although she was in the same year as the others, she looked younger: she was small and skinny, with a thin, unremarkable face and mousey-brown hair. She was strong though, and Benno had taught her how to hit when she'd joined his gang.

"I'm so bored."

JJ was leaning against the wall outside his room, making sure that Josh Masters would not be able to get in or out without Caine knowing. Nancy had done what felt like a hundred laps of the dorm corridors already, and every time she had gone past JJ had complained.

"Take it up with the boss, JJ," she said unsympathetically. "I'm not exactly having the time of my life either, y'know."

"Just talk to me for a bit," JJ begged. "I've been waiting here for nearly an hour... he's obviously not in his room."

Nancy rolled her eyes, but nevertheless crossed over and leant against the wall next to him. "It's pretty pointless," she eventually admitted.

"Yeah." There was a pause. "So what do you think of Diana?"

Nancy rolled her eyes again. Everyone had asked her that same question at least a million times. "Dunno," she said in a bored tone. "She's a bit... blunt."

"Yeah."

"Kinda bitchy."

"Yeah."

Nancy looked at him curiously. "You know you say 'yeah' a lot?"

"I'm just an agreeable person," JJ shrugged, before continuing with the conversation. "She's driving Drake crazy. Did you seem them at lunch?"

"Anyone who can get Drake wound up that much can't be that bad, right?"

"Exactly," said JJ. "If you think about it, all that is kind of why we're here now."

Nancy turned to him, forehead furrowed into a frown. "What do you mean?"

"Well," said JJ thoughtfully, "Drake hates her."

"No shit, Sherlock."

"So he's trying to phase her out."

Nancy thought about it for a second. "It's the Caine Competition. Winner gets to hang around."

JJ smiled. "That's elementary, my dear Watson."

"Oh shut up." He laughed. "So Diana's out..."

"And that means we're stuck with Drake," concluded JJ bitterly.

"Rather hang around with a bitch than a psycho."

"Yeah."

Both of their phones beeped simultaneously. Nancy didn't even have to pull it out of her blazer pocket to know who it was.

"The hour's up," said JJ, kicking himself away from the wall.

"Right again, Mr Holmes." Nancy began leading the way to the library, glad to be seeing some different sights. "No sight of Masters. What d'you reckon the boss'll do now?"

"Cause trouble."

Nancy wondered whether Captain Obvious might be a more suitable nickname.

**-C-**

"Let me go through this _one more time_."

Caine was pacing up and down again, hands tucked behind his back and head bowed down in thought. Drake had heard the same thing three times, and he was starting to get pissed off.

Caine span around and pointed at JJ. "You're sure he's not in his room?"

JJ did not miss a beat. "Yeah."

"And he's not hanging around the boy's dorms?"

"Definitely not," Nancy piped up.

"And he's not been in the courtyard or on the front, Morley?"

"Nope."

"And the classrooms?"

"Checked 'em all, Caine. Checked the canteen too."

Caine shot a look at Piers' slightly pudgy stomach. "I'm sure you did. Benno, where were you?"

"Grounds and sports stadium, man... Nowhere."

Caine threw up his hands in exasperation. "Then where the hell is he?!"

"Actually... He was with me."

Drake snapped his head around as quick as a flash. Diana Ladris was leaning against a bookcase, arms crossed and looking extraordinarily smug - she could not have adopted a more Caine-like expression if she'd tried.

It took every ounce of Drake's self-control not to scream.

"What the hell do you want?" he spat, springing up.

"Ah ah, temper temper," she said in a sing-song voice, shoving away from the bookcase and fanning herself with some papers she had clutched in her slender hand. "I have a little present for your fearless leader."

"Don't bother," snapped Drake, but she had already waltzed up to Caine, and not breaking eye contact with Drake, she handed them over. Drake decided that snapping her neck was maybe justified right about now.

From behind him he heard JJ whisper "the game's afoot" to Nancy, so he delivered him a swift kick to the shin, hard enough to leave a nasty bruise. Drake had no idea what JJ was talking about, but the wince of pain made him feel a little bit better.

Drake was still not over the hit list fiasco. When Drake put someone at number one, they stayed at number one until they got what was coming to them. And for Caine to interrupt it, to make him look like a fool...

Caine was an idiot. Caine was a nuisance. And Caine was going to pay for it, and at some time soon, but right now Caine was the lesser of two evils, and he was going to ensure that Caine stayed useful until the time when he would be able to get him back properly.

"So..." said Diana, winding behind Caine's chair so she could read over his shoulder, "what do you think, O Fearless Leader?"

Caine looked at her as if she'd just told him that Christmas had come early. "I think you're a genius, Diana Ladris."

"Give me that," Drake hissed, snatching the papers out of Caine's hands. He scowled as he looked at them. Blurred pictures, obviously taken on a mobile phone, took up each page, blown up but quite obviously displaying Josh Masters and some girl in the year below.

"So?" Drake said, unimpressed.

"Oh Drakey, if only you were a normal human being," said Diana, sticking her bottom lip out in a sign of mock sadness. "Then maybe you'd understand normal human emotions." She picked up one of the photos and waved it in front of his face; Drake knocked her hand away with venom. "Josh Masters is dating Kate Spence. This right here... and here... and here... is not Kate Spence. This is her sister Louise." She smiled sweetly over at Caine, as if this twist of fate had been created solely for the two of them to exploit. "They look rather cosy, don't they? And if Kate Spence finds out, he can say bye bye to her - and if he just about survives that little scandal, then he can say bye bye to Coates as well. His dad doesn't let him date. He'd rather have him at an all boys' school instead."

Nancy was staring at Diana as if she'd grown another head. "How the hell do you know all that?"

"I'm very good at reading people."

Caine was practically rocking back and forwards with barely-contained glee.

"Who gives a shit?" Drake burst out angrily. "We're beating him up! Who cares about anything else?"

Someone shushed him from another aisle. The library was potentially not the perfect place for a confrontation.

Diana shook her head sweetly. The sweeter she acted, the more Drake found himself aching to hit her, right in her perfect little face. "Oh, we're not beating anyone up," she said slowly, savouring his crestfallen expression.

Drake's heart sank like a stone.

Diana perched herself on the arm of Caine's chair, crossing her legs and leaning into the chair's back. "Me and Josh had a little chat while you were all playing hide and seek. I showed him the photos, and we decided that instead of me causing a lot of unnecessary drama, he'd take my advice."

"He's not going to be the class captain?" Caine jumped in eagerly.

Diana looked at him as if he was mad. "Oh, he's still going to be the captain, wear the stupid badge. That's a no-brainer."

"But -"

"_But_ we agreed that anything of importance, or anything that might need to be brought to attention... Well, I told him he answers to one person for all that stuff."

For a moment Drake thought Caine was going to faint from happiness. He, on the other hand, was furious.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

(From another aisle, Drake was shushed once more.)

In one clever move, Diana had rendered him completely and utterly useless.

To twist the knife in just that little bit further, Diana leant in and stage-whispered to Caine, a smirk curling the corners of her full lips: "I told him that you sent you regards. I heard that you might like that."

That was the last straw for Drake. He stood up and kicked his chair to the side, storming off without looking back once.

He knew where he was going, and it was the first time he had ever been in there willingly.

Doctor Hyde was writing something down when Drake burst into his office, jumping as the door slammed against the wall.

"Drake!" he said, surprised, bouncing out of his seat. Drake started pacing, unconsciously mimicking Caine's earlier laps of the library, and he could see the doctor wavering out of the corner of his eye.

"I fucking hate her," he started without preamble, not giving Hyde the chance to catch up with him. "You asked me why I felt like beating her up and I didn't say anything but it's because I _hate_ her, I hate _her_."

Drake noticed Hyde had dropped back into his chair and was scribbling furiously on the back of an old Post-It note. He realised that this was not only the first time he'd ever willingly visited the doctor, but the first time he'd ever properly divulged real, true emotion.

"I hate her more than my parents or the kids in my old school or Holden or Caine or Dekka or any of the kids here. I hate her more than I've ever hated anyone in my whole entire life. I hate her more than I hate _you_."

"Why is that Drake?" asked Doctor Hyde. His glasses were slipping down his nose, and a lock of hair had escaped the swept back style he normally accommodated. The Post-It note was already filled up with messy scribbled words - he was now writing on his own arm. Drake Merwin's words were far too precious to be lost when rootling around for paper.

"Because she's not scared!" he spat. "Because she thinks she's beating me, and she thinks she's so clever, but she's just some stupid girl and I want her to _bleed_!"

"Drake, you need to calm down. You're getting worked up."

But Drake could never be calm, and inside he was a tornado of rage. "I'd make her bleed, I'd -"

"Drake-!"

"- and break her bones in half -"

"- Calm down!"

"- and she'd _scream_ -"

It took Doctor Hyde and two others to restrain Drake. He barely noticed.

**-C-**

Diana hadn't thought that Drake would have the brains in him to try and push her out of Caine's little gang, but he had surprised her. Of course, he hadn't banked on the fact that she was sneakier than he was. Diana was very well-versed in the art of blackmail.

There were three common rooms in Coates Academy: one which was reserved for the prefects, one which was more of a games room (complete with gaming facilities and a pool table), and one that was filled with plush armchairs, which was where she was currently sat, along with Benno and Caine. It was a big room, scattered with comfortable, squishy chairs and a few low coffee tables. A large ornate fireplace occupied one of the walls, but there was no merry fire crackling away inside of it. The walls were bare, with the exception of several collages that students had made over the previous years. They did not brighten up the place, but rather seemed to point out the complete lack of any other kind of comforting or homely decoration within the room.

Josh Masters was sat in the corner, watching the three of them instead of reading the book he had in his hands. Every now and then Diana would glance over at him, just to remind him that he hadn't been forgotten, and he would duck behind his long side fringe and go back to reading.

Benno had noticed. "You're making enemies already."

Diana rolled her eyes. "Come on, Benno, don't tell me you're scared of some emo kid?"

"Course not," he scoffed.

"I thought you were meant to be some tough guy?"

Benno did not bother answering back. Drake was much easier and more satisfying to bait, but it still amused Diana.

It didn't need to be said but it was obvious - Diana's blackmailing show had well and truly cemented her as part of Caine's gang, and she wasn't about to let that slip out of her clutches.

"I'm going to bed now," she announced, startling Caine out of his reverie.

"Night," said Benno, not bothering to take his eyes off a group of girls who were playing a rather loud game of cards.

"Night Caine," she said.

"Oh... d'you want me to... walk you to your room?"

She couldn't resist. "My room's down the corridor. I _think _- and correct me if I'm wrong - but I _think _I'll be able to find it. I can always ask for directions."

"Oh shut up."

She smirked and left them to it.

Even though it was only nine o'clock (curfew on weekends was ten), it was dark in the corridors, and Diana felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She wasn't scared of the dark, but Coates was so old, and the Gothic architecture made her feel uneasy.

Maybe having Caine walk her wouldn't have been so bad after all.

When she reached her door, Diana noticed there was an envelope sellotaped just underneath the number '8'. She pulled it off, stuffed it in her pocket and unlocked the door, locking it again as soon as she was inside.

Her room was a mess, clothes scattered over the floor, and she picked her way to the bed, making a promise to herself that she would clean up in the morning. Diana sat down, leaning her head against the wall, and opened the envelope carefully.

Inside there was one piece of paper, and written in the scrawled writing of Drake Merwin:

_Watch your back, bitch. You're dead._

The next morning, Drake found his envelope had been re-sellotaped to his door. There had been a message added on to his.

_Thanks for the love letter. xoxo_

He crumpled it up and threw it at the wall.

**-C-**

_**Author's Note: Caine is such a drama queen...**_

_** I'm posting earlier than planned because the sun is shining and I'm in a really good mood. I actually have a plan laid out for the antics that go on in each chapter, but this one got so long that I couldn't actually include everything I wanted. The next chapter is supposed to be the lead up to the story's first plot arc... but I'm either going to have to stuff what didn't make Chapter 3 into one big chapter, or split everything into two separate chapters.**_

_**Once again a big shout out to my lovely reviewers, you are all so wonderful and supportive: dawnosaurs, **__**Royalty Over Reality**__**, **__**gaia-ladris-soren**__**, **__**MitsyL**__**, **__**Evie19200**__**, **__**ShootingStar02**__**, and **__**FAYZpsycho**__**. **_

_**In the mean time though - hope you enjoyed this chapter. It headed in a different direction to what I was expecting (had planned on more Caine/Diana interaction, for all you Caina shippers, and completely hadn't planned on ending where I did) but there you have it. Let me know what you think in a review if you can, and as always thank you for reading.**_


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